My snarky side would've finally said, "Just what part of NO are you having trouble understanding?"

OP, If the store you're talking about is Justice, I feel your pain. Overpriced, shoddy clothes, but their marketing to young girls is a business school perfect example.

i have had to be rude to a salesperson before to get them to finish ringing up my purchase. i don't like doing that as i've worked enough retail to have had my fair share but they would not stop trying to get me to buy extras, i leant in a little and said quietly to them "if you want my secret shopper report to be even worse then keep on going, as it is i'm sending a copy to HQ as well as the store manager..."

i wasn't a ss but i had enough! i didn't want a store card/emails/invites to events etc etc

I once made a huge mistake and called to order something I had seen on television. It was early morning while I was getting ready for work and I only had a few minutes before I had to leave. The representative took my information, then started trying to get me to buy something else to go with the item. Over and over again he offered something else when I said no. I told him I needed to leave for work and he needed to complete my order so I could go. He told me he wasn't allowed to stop offering other items without a supervisor's approval.

I spoke to the supervisor to get them to complete the sale so I could leave, but only because I really wanted the item. Now, I have a computer and would just skip talking to someone.

I think if a salesperson in a store was that pushy that I would leave all the items at the counter and go to same store different mall.

My snarky side would've finally said, "Just what part of NO are you having trouble understanding?"

OP, If the store you're talking about is Justice, I feel your pain. Overpriced, shoddy clothes, but their marketing to young girls is a business school perfect example.

i have had to be rude to a salesperson before to get them to finish ringing up my purchase. i don't like doing that as i've worked enough retail to have had my fair share but they would not stop trying to get me to buy extras, i leant in a little and said quietly to them "if you want my secret shopper report to be even worse then keep on going, as it is i'm sending a copy to HQ as well as the store manager..."

i wasn't a ss but i had enough! i didn't want a store card/emails/invites to events etc etc

Ah, the secret shopper card. I've had to pull that one out once or twice - I actually AM a secret shopper, although none of the places I'm paid to shop are places I'd go on my own dime, for the most part. I've noticed that even if I mention it (like, if DP and I are talking about mystery shops I've got scheduled for the next weekend, over dinner) that the service gets seriously better. Sad to say it takes a 'threat' for some people to do their jobs.

I have wished I was shopping when I've had a few really awful experiences. And, ironically, I HAVE been shopping when I've had my worst customer service experiences, and I'm sure they were upset when they got their badly failed audits.

This situation would have me so tempted to just walk out...except this is my kid and things she picked...or I really do want to have this item for myself. And I have simply left before, but I'm not sure that presented any sort of message...you could have earned $36, but now you have nothing...not that I was on any personal crusade, just that what I was trying to buy was not so important to me that I was willing to have a lengthy argument with the person over buying more.

I have asked the question, "Do you want to sell me this or not?" "Then can we please get to the part where I pay for this so I can go?"

I "get" suggestive sell. I have been on both ends. I have even walked away with something I never would have thought to purchase and it turned out to be a great purchase, so it's a very good tool of which there was benefit on both parties. I even "get" playing with the "c'mon mom" to a point...narrow, but okay.

Suggestive sell is not supposed to be bully tactic. Also understand your customer's needs. The problem is, there is so much pressure on this "suggestive sell" and not letting up that comes from the higher-ups to the lower staff, that I'm not sure they would even recognize that it's a problem until everyone just starts declining their purchase and walking out, which many of us won't do because we finally found the perfect blouse or the dish set or it's the only store that sells this item and we want it or need it and don't have the time to go elsewhere.